Lawyer Says Cook County Clerk Defamed Him

Recent Cases

An attorney claims the Cook County Clerk defamed him to TV news to retaliate for his informing another news station that the clerk had allegedly "confessed to using court funds to acquire three luxury SUVs to chauffeur her to the office and home again each day and to carry her 10-man 'security detail.'"

David Novoselsky claims County Clerk Dorothy Brown has it in for him because he has publicly criticized her, and sued her, for her part in raising the filing fee from $5 to $15. Novoselsky claims Brown did this as a political tool to seek re-election, claiming that by hiking the fee she was saving taxpayers money.

Novoselsky says he sued Brown on May 22 on behalf of a client who paid, but challenged, the fee increase. In response, he says, Brown released a statement to WBBM, Channel 2, accusing him of filing "frivolous and baseless lawsuits" against her office that are nothing more than "unscrupulous harassment, unbecoming an attorney at law."

Novoselsky claims that this alleged defamation was in retaliation for his tipping Fox News, Channel 32, to Brown's alleged misuse of public money for her private chauffeur service and security detail.

His complaint states: "Brown became agitated in the [Fox News] interview when the reporter pointed out that her chauffeur was being paid more than $60,000 per year as a 'systems analyst' and that there was no authority in her budget for a 'security detail.' Brown referred to these lawful restrictions as a mere 'budget title' and said that she needed to use court funds for her gas and parking expenses since she 'only made $105,000 per year.'"

Represented by Joseph Curcio in Cook County Court, Novoselsky demands $1 million in punitive damages.

Related listings

  • Shareholder Class Action

    Shareholder Class Action

    Recent Cases 05/23/2008

    Shareholders sued Calpine Corp. and its directors, claiming they are selling Calpine too cheaply to NRG Energy, for $23 a share, or $9.6 billion, a 6.7% premium over market price, in Harris County Court, Houston.      Shareholders clai...

  • Court Says Cop's Criticism Isn't Protected Speech

    Court Says Cop's Criticism Isn't Protected Speech

    Recent Cases 05/22/2008

    An Illinois State Police officer was not wrongfully transferred for accusing his superiors of sabotaging his investigation of a cold-case murder, the 7th Circuit ruled. Plaintiff Michale Callahan filed a First Amendment retaliation claim against his ...

  • Ex-Lottery Commissioner Loses Conviction Appeal

    Ex-Lottery Commissioner Loses Conviction Appeal

    Recent Cases 05/20/2008

    The 4th Circuit upheld the conviction and sentencing of ex-North Carolina lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings, who concealed the fact that he had a conflict of interest with a lottery vendor. A federal jury convicted Geddings of five counts of mail f...

Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC

A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party

Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party

However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.

Business News

New York Adoption and Family Law Attorneys Our attorneys have represented adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoption agencies. >> read